Current smart appliance initiatives are driving appliance and equipment manufacturers to provide appliance connectivity that can respond to and appliance performance. Smart appliances provide consumer awareness of the current appliance cycle and allow for configuration thereof.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 8,051,381, hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety describes an appliance configured to perform a physical cycle of operation on an article including a controller to control the cycle of operation and an interface in network configuration with the controller to connect an accessory configurable to affect the cycle of operations. A graphical user interface in network communication with the controller and the interface is provided so that an accessory connected to the interface is configurable using the graphical user interface to affect the cycle of operation of the appliance.
While the appliance of U.S. Pat. No. 8,051,81 includes a programmable controller, the additional operation cycles, changes to existing cycles, or other relevant information must be uploaded to the operation cycle component through purchase at a retail store, or uploading to the operation cycle component at the retail store. Alternatively, the user can download additional operation cycles, changes, or relevant data via the Internet, such as through a personal computer and then upload the additional operation cycles to the operation cycle component. Additionally, while the user can wirelessly directly download the operation cycles to the operation cycle component, the appliance is not part of an appliance network as currently disclosed.
Therefore, while the appliance of the previous reference may function for its intended purposes, there is an identifiable need for an improved networked community of appliance that allow for the implementation of a laundry service manager and/or the optimization of an appliance based upon the supplies utilized by the appliance.